1. Field
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining efficient vehicle speeds based on a speed limit of a current or upcoming roadway and a current load of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a recent push for vehicle manufacturers to improve vehicle efficiency for various reasons such as reduce carbon emissions, reduce costs of operating vehicles, increased vehicle appeal, and the like. Multiple methods have been discovered for improving vehicle efficiency. One such method controls operation of climate control settings of the vehicle to reduce power consumption during vehicle acceleration. Another such method is the use of hybrid vehicles to recapture energy that is typically lost during vehicle deceleration. Due to the complexity of vehicles, numerous options are available to further improve their energy efficiency.
Most roadways in the world include speed limits to control the flow of traffic and protect citizens against vehicle velocities that may endanger drivers or property along the roadway. Speed limits are typically set relative to the available space and the curvatures of the roadway. Although speed limits are designed to protect people and property, they are not designed with fuel efficiency in mind. Accordingly, as vehicles travel on roadways at or near the given speed limits, the vehicles may be operating at a relatively inefficient speed due to the given speed limit.
Accordingly, it is desirable to determine efficient vehicle speeds that are relatively close to the speed limit and inform drivers of these efficient speeds.